Letters from George Alexander Hugh Murray to his family, 1915 - Part 14

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no time, but the time is beginning to drag

a little now for I cannot walk to

far yet but am in the next batch

to go somewhere. We in England knew 

nothing about the evacuation of

Gallipoli till it was reported in

the papers and then we could

not believe it, but it seems all too

true. You seemed to know about it

long before we here knew.

I know nothing about H. Hutchinson

for all who I have asked know

nothing about him. I heard about

N. Lynch being killed. I have been

looking at a chap for a few days

& I thought I knew his face.

I asked him his name. It is one

of the Toners from Sheep Hills.

The Band has just began to play

for the Xmas Church Parade so

I have to be off for I have to

go to church

So I will say goodbye

and may we all be spared

 

to meet before long

I remain your ever loving son

& Brother

George

I send a Packag parcel by this post

and one before it.

I just got a letter from G. Naismith 

I have not heard from Les, but

he was alright on Nov 7

George

 

 

[*I have not kept my diary

but I can tell from where

ever I have been.*]

[*In one of

Lena's letters she said L she was

good I never received my letters (I suppose it was

a mistake*]

Forest Gate

Essex 30/12/15

All at home

By the last mail I

received fifteen letters from you

and a couple from the little

boys. I got one from Bess at

last.

Christmas is over at last and

a merry time it was too, but

there was no snow or it

was not a bit cold, not

a bit what I thought it

would be like. I spent

my Christmas at in Essex

and the few days of leave

that was given me, but

they are up now so I have

to take to drill again.

I have not heard from

Les though you seem to

hear from him fairly

often.

A lot of the Warrack

 

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chaps have been killed & 

now are left on Gallipoli

till the Guns of Shell around

I got a lovely Christmas

cake sent to me by some

one for I do not know

who it is that sent it.

Since last writing to you

I have had to face some

trouble. One of the men

in my hut was absent

at the time I put the 

report in but I did not

mark him so, and when

the officer came round

and checked the report

one man was missing

so I have to appear before

the Officers to render an

account of myself

It will be the first time

 

3

that I will be before orderly

Room since I joined this

Ragtime army. I will not

know how I fared till

about the second week

in January.

I never received the cake

that you sent me but

it will turn up about

the time I am leaving

England for that will not

be long now.

In one of your letters

you said Mr Naismith had

volunteered. I never thought

they would take him, for he

is too old to stand the

hardships that are before

him. Warrack can have

 

 

hardly no young fellows left

in it now by the numbers

that have left.

It would make you wild to see

all the young fellows walking

about this country for the

will not join for they are

now earning more money

than ever they did before.

I am writing this in a widow's

home. She has eight boarders

and is just like a mother

to them.

[*1 DRL 529*]
Sir George Reid gave our fellows

a spread at the grandest hotels

 in London but I did not go.

Hugh Cameron will never be fit for

service again for he has his trigger 

finger blown away so he has got a

job in the camp butchery at Abbey Wood

Kent.

This is all I can think off so I

will close wishing you are all well

I am at present so goodbye from

Your loving son George